sanddog
I bought this already full price on MP3 on amazon, but I have the rest of the discography on FLAC ... so I am a second time buyer. Great band with a bright future.
Elida Flores
packs literally never disappoints! such a cool band and i am looking forward to anything and everything they release in the future 💕
Favorite track: Pearly Whites.
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Madeline Link, who makes music under the moniker PACKS, has always found inspiration in her surroundings. When it came to newest effort Melt the Honey (her second full-length in the space of a year), she wanted to look beyond the mundane spaces that had informed much of her previous work. Over the course of 11 days last March, Link and the rest of her band (Dexter Nash [guitar], Noah O’Neil [bass] and Shane Hooper [drums]) gathered in Mexico City, a city that already held a special place in her heart as an artist-in-residence at Casa Lü in 2020). PACKS practiced new songs in a rented studio space, with each member bringing their aesthetic sensibility to the table. From there, they took a bus to Xalapa where they spent the remainder of their time abroad working at a house known as Casa pulpo, an architectural feat removed from the bustle of city life, owned and operated by Wendy Moira, the visionary behind Teatro Lucido, a prominent theater and music venue in Mexico City.
The making of Melt the Honey was a communal experience, with the same group of musicians who have joined her since her Take the Cake debut in 2021 taking part once again. Part of the vibrancy of the recording also comes from an underlying emotional shift in Link’s life: falling in love. After doing it alone for so long, Link is finally embracing the sense of ease that comes with knowing you’re cared for. “These songs are happier, or more optimistic, than any I’ve written,” Link says. “I was feeling generally less horrible than I have in the past,” she laughs. The album’s title draws from the single “Honey,” written in a Chilean beach town where Link briefly lived ensconced in these feelings, sharing a home with her romantic partner and allowing herself to experience life in an easier way, through the lens of having someone by her side. While Link is in a happier state-of-mind, Melt the Honey still finds a way to dig into the grit of her emotions, exploring new sonic territory as she goes. From the scuzzy shoegaze of “Pearly Whites” to the psych-textured interlude of “AmyW,” Melt the Honey is the band at their most fully-formed yet; unafraid to experiment while simultaneously doubling down on their signature quirky earworms that reverberate with universal appeal.
credits
released January 19, 2024
Bass: Noah O’Neil
Drums, tambourine, shaker: Shane Hooper
Lead Guitar, keys on Honey, Take Care: Dexter Nash
Rhythm and acoustic guitars, vocals, rusty nail: Madeline Link
Spanish vocals on Missy: Lupita Rico
Keys on Honey, AmyW: Diego Parragué
All songs written by Madeline Link
All songs engineered by Dexter Nash and recorded by PACKS at
Casa Pulpo in Xalapa, Veracruz in March 2023
All songs mixed by Madeline Link and Dexter Nash
Mastering: Sarah Register
Thanks to Cori McPhail, Ethan Converse, Ruby Hoffman, Trevor Peterson
Special thanks to Evan Matthews for the use of your equipment
Coop for the acoustic guitar
Wendy Moira from Casa Pulpo and Arturo for the car
Lupita and Sophie for being great neighbours
Eduardo and Hernan at BTempo in CDMX
Album design: Madeline Link
Front and back cover photos: Carlee Diamond
supported by 121 fans who also own “Melt the Honey”
I...I... just had to buy it, OK? 😘🍑
Perving aside, this is a great breakup record. It’ll speak to you if you’ve ever felt that heartache:
“I keep fucking up.”
“The past keeps getting in the way.”
“Fuck my dreams, and fuck you too.”
And I like her voice, reminds me of Juliana Hatfield. Brian Parker
From L.A. comes the latest from post-rock outfit bondo, with tendrils of spindly guitar snaking through arid percussion. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 4, 2023
